Car door construction



Sept. 5, 1933. K, J TOBIN C'AR DOOR CONSTRUCTION Filed Feb. 5, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet Patented Sept. 5, 1933 who starts CAR DooaooNs'rR cTmN Kenneth J. Tobin, Chicago, -Ill., assignor to Carmel Company, Chicago, 11]., a corporation of llllinois Application February 5, 1931. Serial No. 513,577

' 11 Claims. (01. 20-22) The presentinvention relates to improvements in car door construction. More particularlythe present invention relates to improvements ina.

construction relating to the sliding doors of rail-, way house cars andhas been illustrated and will be described in connection with the type of house car generally known as an automobile car. Such cars have a double door construction for closing a doorway .of extraordinary width, such as required forlading of extra large dimensions, as, forexample, automobiles. As the description proceeds, however, it will be clear that the invention is not limited to the door construction of automobile cars but is equally applicable to the doors of. other types of cars and to sliding doors of 'many other types, whether they are used oncars, or not. The present invention is closely related to and constitutes an improvement over the construction shown and described in the application of Tobin and'Darrow, Serial No. 225,874,1iled October 13, 1927, in whichthe auxiliarysliding door is rigid with a door jamb which carries latching members at the top and bottom ends r thereof adapted to cooperate with relatively Sta-- tionary abutments mounted on the side sill and side plate in order to loci: the door in normal closed position. The auxiliary door in the application referred to carries supporting rollers at the bottom thereof which support the weight of the door during sliding movement thereof from closed to open positions. The rollers are constructed to be relatively movable in a vertical direction with respect to the door and leverage means are employed operable to raise the door and disengage the cooperating locking members in order that the door may be moved to its open position. When the door is in its locked position, the weight is removed from the rollers and the bottom edge of the door frictionall seats upon the flat roller trackway.

It is an object of the present invention to provide .a sliding door construction which will automatically latch itself when the door is moved r to a closed position and in. which the weight of the door is supported by rollers upon the track at all times and the locking of the door is obtained by relative vertical movement of the door jamb.

It is further an object of the present invention to provide a construction in which the door jamb is relatively movable in a vertical direction with respect/to the door in order to lock the door in closed position throughcoopera tion with the side sill and side plate of the car and to provide cooperating brackets, one of which is carried by the door and one by the door jamb adjacent an opening through the door and the door .jamb wherebythe operator, by a suitable instrument, such as a crow-bar, may raise the door jamb out of its locking position in order to move the door to its open :position.v

Further objects andadvantages will be more readily apparent and more fully described in connection with the following description taken in connection with the attached drawings, in

which I Figure l is a fragmentary view showing a portion of the side of a car in side-elevation;

Figure 2 is a horizontal sectional View taken alongthe plane indicated 2-2 in'Figure 1;

Figure 3 is an elevation with parts shown in section looking forward from the inside of the auxiliary'door; 1

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken on the plane indicated 4 4 in Figure 2, and

Figure '5 is an enlarged detail vertical section illustrating the cooperation of a crow-bar or other instrument in order to release the door from its locked position. 1 I i In the following description the reference numerals employed correspond as far as practicable to the Tobin and. Darrow application, Serial No. 225,874, previously vmentioned and certain features of the invention which are not claimed in the present invention will befound to be ,more fully. described and claimed in this prior application. 7

Referring first to Figure 1, the numerallO indicates the side of a railway house car which, as above referred to, takes the form of an automobile car. Said house car is provided with a main'door .11 and an auxiliary door 12, both of which may. be opened to provide a door-way of extraordinary width. The auxiliary door 12 is provided with a door post or door jamb .in-

cluding an angle member 13 and a filler-post 13m The angle member 13 is preferablya Z-bar, as clearly shown in Figure 2. As will .be later described, the door ,jamb is not rigid i withrthe door but may'have, a'limited vertical movement with respect thereto. The door jamb has secured to its upper and lower extremities,

certain castings or forgings which have, for

base wall 34 and two side walls 35.

and rear edges. Inasmuch as the weather stripping forms no part of the present invention, it need not be described in detail herein.

The present invention contemplates a door structure in which the door jamb is raised when it is intended to move the door structure to open the doorway. By referring to Figure l, it will be observed that the side sill l i is provided with brackets 15 for supporting a track member 16. The side plate 1'! of the car has secured thereto an over-hanging flange member 18 which cooperates with the upper, edge of the door to guide the upper edge in the opening and closing sliding movements thereof. Numeral. 20

represents rollers carried at the bottom of the door and rotatable upon fixed axes with respect to the door. The rollers 20 travel upon the track 16 and support the weight of the door at all times. V

The door jamb 13 has rigidly secured thereto at its two extremities certain castings or forgings, indicated 32. The two members 32 at the top and bottom of the member 13 are identical in size and shape and may be termed latches, latching members or latching portions of the angle member 13.

Each of the members 32 comprise a flat base portion 33 from one side of which extends the The two members 32 at the two extremities of the mem ber 13 have their corresponding parts projecting in opposite directions. Accordingly the member 32 secured to the top of the member 13 will have one side wall 35 secured to a flange thereof and the member 32 at the lower extremity of the member 13 will have the other side wall secured to the same flange. Projecting in parallel relationship with each other from the base wall 33 are the two gripping walls 36 which are provided with shoulders 33 projecting toward each other fromthe walls 36. The shoulders 38 are adapted to have over hanging relationship with respect to members rigid with the side plate 17 and the side sill is in a manner herein-- after described. Each of the shoulders 38 is provided with an abutment portion 39 projecting towards the base wall 33 and the base wall 33 is provided with a shouldered abutment portion 40 projecting in the same direction as the walls 36.

The upper member 32 and the corresponding door 12 in closed position is adapted to cooperate with an abutment or detent member 41, which may be riveted or otherwise secured to the side plate 17. Said member ll has a downwardly extending neck portion 12 having two laterally extending walls or shoulders 43 adapted, when the corresponding door is in closed position, to underlie the shoulders 38 of the gripping walls 36. The laterallyextending walls or shoulders 43 are provided with recesses 4:4; adapted to receive the downward projections 39 from the shoulders 38 of the top member 32.

The lower member 32 disposed at the bottom of the angle member 13 is adapted to cooperate with an abutment or detent member 45 which comprises a hollow casting, forging, or the like, having an upwardly extending neck portion 46 with laterally extending walls or shoulders l? adapted to overlie the shoulders 33 of the gripping walls 36 of the lower member 32. The neck portion 46 is preferably hollow, whereby to provide an aperture is. As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the door jamb is in raised position and the abutment portion 40 is out of engagement with the recess 460% It will be understood, of

course, that when the door jamb 13 is lowered, the abutment portion 40 will seat itself within the recess 46a. Member 45 is provided with the bottom wall 48 adapted to be riveted or other wise secured to the side sill i l of the car. Said bottom wall 48 leaves an aperture 49 in the to cooperate with the correspondingly slanting surfaces 51 of the laterally extending walls 43 of the member ll which is secured to the side plate 17 of the car. Moreover, the abutment portion 10 is provided with a slanting surface 52 adapted to cooperate with a correspondingly slanting surface 53 on the top of the abutment member 1-5 which is secured to the side sill 14.- of the car. Due to the cooperating slanting sur- Thus the abutment portions 39 have slanting surfaces 50 which are adapted faces referred to, there will be a wedging effect between the members 32 and the cooperating members 41 and 15 as the door is being moved to closed position whereby the door jamb 13 will be lifted and then dropped into locked position.

The novel feature of the present invention relates to the mounting of the door jamb 13 so that it may have a limited vertical movement with respect to the door 12. Thus the door jamb is secured to the door 12 by means of a series of rivets 60 which are shown as three in number, extending through vertical elon gated slots 61 in the door jamb but rigidly fastened to the door 12. The rivets 60 have enlarged heads 62 which overlap the edges of the slots dland prevent the separation of the door from the door jamb. Secured to the outer face of the door 12 is a fulcrum bracket 63 suitably fastened by rivets fi l and abovethe bracket there is an opening 65 in the door closely adjacent a corresponding opening 66 in the front leg of the Z-shaped angle member 13. ing bracket 67 is fastened to the angle member 13 through suitable rivets 63. The bracket 67 is shown to be zieshaped in vertical section and has its horizontal wall adjacent. the upper edge of the opening .66 in the angle member 13. will be readily apparent from Figure 5, the oper- A casti ator can insert a crow-bar or other member 69 1 through the openings in the door and door jamb and into engagement with the casting 67. A downward pull on the bar reacting upon the bracket 63 as a fulcrum will serve to raise the door jamb or angle member 13 and lift it from its locked position, which movement is permitted by the slotted engagement between the rivets 16 and the angle member 13. The door may.

2. In a door structure, a main door, an auxiliary sliding door and a locking door jamb slidable with said auxiliary door and capable of relative vertical movement with respect to the auxiliary door to come into locking position.

3. In a house car the combination of a main door, an auxiliary sliding door, a side plate, a side sill, a locking door jamb secured to the auxiliary door capable of vertical relative movement with respect to the auxiliary door and abutment members secured to said side sill and said side plate adapted to interlock with said door jamb to hold said auxiliary door against sliding movement.

l. In a house car the combination of a main door, an auxiliary door, a door jamb' secured to one of said doors, a side plate, a side sill, said door ,jamb being capable of vertical movement relative to the door to'whichit is secured, latching members rigidly secured to the top and bottom of said jamb and abutment members secured to said side sill and side plate adapted,

to interlock with said latching members when said jamb is in lowered position with respect to the door. I

5. In a house car the combination of a main door, an aux iary sliding door, rollers supporting said auxiliary door for sliding movement, a door jamb secured to said auxiliary door and capable of vertical relative movement with respect to said door, latching members rigidly secured at the top and bottom of said jamb, a

side plate, a side sill and abutment members;

secured to said side sill and said side plate adapted to interlock; with. said latching members when said door jamb in lowered position with respect to said door.

6. In a door structure, a slidable main door, a slidable auxiliary door, a door jamb secured to said auxiliary door capable of relative vertical movement with respect thereto, said auxiliary door and door jamb having openings thereinand brackets respectively secured to said auxiliary door and door jamb adjacent said openings adapted to cooperate with a manually operable member for lifting the door jamb'with respect to the auxiliary door. p

7. In a house car, a slidable main door, a slidable auxiliary door, a door jamb secured to said auxiliary door and capable of relative vertical movement with respect thereto, said doorjamb carrying latching members at the top and bottom ends thereof adapted to cooperate with relatively stationary parts of the car to lock the auxiliary door against sliding movement and said door and door jamb having cooperating openings adapted to permit the insertion of a tool to raise the door jamb relative to the door I out of its locked position.

8. In combination, a' slidable main door, a slidable auxiliary door, a door. jamb havingv slots therein, rivet members fastened to said auxiliary door and extending through said slots to secure said door jamb to said auxiliary door with provision for relative vertical movement and a latching member carried by said door jamb.

9. In combination, a sliding door, a door-jamb secured thereto with provision for relative vertical movement, a filler post fastened to said door jamb, said door and door jamb'having cooperatdoor jamb secured to said auxiliary door with provision for relative vertical movement with respect thereto, latching members secured to said door jamb at the top and bottom ends thereof, abutment members secured to said side plate and side sill adapted to automatically interlock with the latching members of said door jamb when the door is moved to closed position in which position the'door jamb is in lowered position with respect to the door, and said door and door jamb having cooperatng means to permit the raising of the door jamb from the out side of the car'in order to release the door from its locked position for opening thereof.

11. In a house car, a side plate, a side sill, a slidable main door, a slidable auxiliary door, a door jamb secured to said auxiliary door and comprising a Z-shaped angle member and a filler post, said angle inemte being connected to said door with provision for relative vertical movement with'respect thereto, latching mem- 129 bers secured to the upper and lower extremities i of said angle member, abutment members .secured to said side plate and side silladapted to automatically interlock with said latching members when the auxiliary door is moved to closed position and said door and angle member having openings therein adapted to permit the insertion of a tool to raise the angle member out of its locked-position to permit sliding the auxiliary door to open position.

- KENNETII J. TOBIN. 

